She played all of Ys (my favorite album) with the orchestra that recorded with her, in the best sounding venue in LA, and I was front row center, next to her parents. It was stunning, the setlist was killer, and she was as on point as she's been every time I've ever seen her. This was the most memorable for the venue and the scope of the performance. A full orchestra on Only Skin was astounding.

Boredoms - ATP 2009, Upstate New York (9/13/2009)

I love Boredoms, and their live shows are legendary. I saw them play with 85 extra drummers in La Brea Tar pits, and I've seen eYe break his foot dancing so hard. This one easily takes the cake as the best set I've ever seen from this incredible band. It was Boadrum 09, so they were supposed to have 9 drummers. Right away, they had a guitar player (which I'd never seen them with before) and a new frankensteined guitar/percussion instrument (google the sepeta), but there were only eight drummers on stage. They started into the traditional first song they'd been playing for years, and about 10 minutes in the sound of drums started to echo from the back of the venue. I was directly stagefront, so I could hear it before I saw it: the ninth drummer was carried through the crowd on a platform as he played a solo, and then set down on stage almost directly in front of me. They proceeded to destroy the rest of the set so hard that their matinee show ruined the rest of the day for me.

Daft Punk at Coachella 2006

There isn't much else to say about this one at this point. A complete surprise of a set from a group I loved but had low expectations for. The overwhelming performance was backed up by a seriously excellent greatest hits set that showed how killer they were. The only time I attended a truly legendary show, and it is for a reason.

The Mae Shi - Echo Curio (8/20/2008)

These guys were my favorite of the Smell bands that caused a ruckus in the latter half of last decade, and that was due largely to their live show. This was the pinnacle of the sets I caught from them. They played a small, packed place after having toured Europe for a month straight. They played the longest set I ever saw from the band (over an hour, easily 25 songs) and they ended with a total destruction, dismantling the drums and passing out instruments into the crowd. I wound up with a guitar over my neck and Jeff (the guitarist) jumping off my shoulders into the pit.

Screaming Females - Spaceland (8/14/09)

I went to see the group that formed in the wake of the Mae Shi's break up. It was their first show, and it was also the first time the headliner played in LA. Besides myself and the three friends I drug along, there were five other people in the crowd, not counting the opening bands. Screaming Females came out and played like they were at the Hollywood Bowl and they were killing the folks in the back. I head banged so hard I pulled a muscle in my neck, and afterwards I bought a copy of every single thing they had on sale. It was one of those shows that was just pulverizingly good.

Arcade Fire - Coachella 2005

I worked my way up throughout Tegan and Sara's set and was near the rail as they started. Funeral was still fresh, and they played with the wild abandon that was their signature at the time. They have never been as intense or as cathartic on stage since, and I feel like the Coachella DVD captures the set well, showing the best song of the evening and a moment I'll never forget.

D'Angelo - House of Blues (7/4/12)

I absolutely love funk and soul, and D is one of the masters of the craft. After Voodoo in 2000, he pretty much went silent, completing the tour behind that album in 2002 and releasing no music in the interim. Out of nowhere, he announced this show, his first American date in a decade, and even though it was $100 there was no way I wasn't going. The set was a total thriller, with half of what would become Black Messiah, the crack band that played on that album, and a blast of his hits and great covers (P-Funk's I've Been Watching You was a highlight.) Also, watching boardie Getbetter step on a huge dude's alligator shoes and get glared the fuck down was hilarious.

Neurosis - Regency Ballroom (3/5/16)

They played three 30th anniversary shows, spanning their entire career and playing tons of incredible stuff. The first night had most of their biggest material, but the second night they crafted a set that was monstrous, had a logical arc to the sound, and was consistently driving. Neurosis at their best can work you into a trance and then pummel you out of it, and they did so all night long. I was also with some great people and drying out after a wicked rain storm soaked us, so the setting was just perfect.